Rialto, California, could soon be home to a new renewable energy facility planned and proposed by Rentech, Inc. This facility, called Rialto Renewable Energy Center, is slated to produce both synthetic fuel and bioelectricity mostly from waste biomass feedstocks. According to Rentech, the aim is for the plant called to have a near zero carbon footprint. Rentech is currently under negotiations with local haulers in regards to sourcing primary feedstock in the form of urban waste biomass such as yard clippings.

"The Rialto facility places Rentech at the forefront of the next generation bio-energy industry," claims Rentech President and CEO, D. Hunt Ramsbottom. Based on the planned size of the facility, expected output is 600 barrels a day of synthetic fuel and 35 megawatts of renewable electricity. Those numbers are enough to power a staggering 30,000 homes. Rentech has gone into agreements with a handful of extraneous organizations such as SilvaGas Corporation for its gasification technology and UOP for the conversion of the synthetic gas into fuel. Besides urban waste, the Rentech facility will also use bio-solids supplied by EnerTech Environmental as part of its total feedstock.